St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office responding to complaints of
4-wheelers driven illegally on streets, private property and levee system

Since young people have been out of school due to COVID-19, the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office has seen an increase in the number of calls about 4-wheel all-terrain vehicles being driven illegally throughout the parish, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

The Sheriff’s Office has been responding to numerous complaints about ATV drivers riding not only illegally on streets and highways, but also illegally on private property and the Mississippi River levee system.

Sheriff Pohlmann wants to remind St. Bernard Parish residents that 4-wheel all-terrain vehicles cannot legally be driven on public highways or streets and are built and intended only for off-road use.

The Sheriff said citations will be issued by deputies when riders are found riding 4-wheel all-terrain vehicles illegally, and the ATVs could be impounded when the rider can’t present proof of ownership.

Anyone who witnesses someone driving a 4-wheel all-terrain vehicle illegally in St. Bernard Parish is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office Traffic Division hotline at (504) 278-7677 to file a complaint.

“Parents should know what the law says: ATVs are not legal on streets,” Sheriff Pohlmann said, “and their use by both adults and juveniles is getting out-of-hand, prompting numerous complaints from people who don’t want to hit the riders or be hit themselves by one of the vehicles.”

With social distancing rules still in place, the Sheriff realizes kids are trying to find ways to entertain themselves, but it still will not be tolerated.

“We cannot allow them to be riding vehicles that aren’t street legal on our parish roadways and levees just because they are bored,” the Sheriff said. “They are unsafe in many situations, particularly when driven carelessly, and we don’t want someone to be severely injured or our levee systems damaged.”